


Can't We Be Sweethearts?

by Kefliboo



Category: Resident Evil - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Zombies, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, I just think they should kiss, Long Distance To Start, Mutual Pining, Semi Slow Burn, modern day AU, potential smut???
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-28
Updated: 2020-06-01
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:09:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23889490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kefliboo/pseuds/Kefliboo
Summary: After three months working at the RPD, Leon finds himself overworked, underappreciated by his fellow officers, and lonelier than he'd like to admit.But when a drunk Claire Redfield quite literally stumbles into his life, things might just start looking up for the rookie cop.
Relationships: Leon S. Kennedy/Claire Redfield
Comments: 55
Kudos: 150





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I can't believe after the nightmare that was writing alone together im committing to another, much, _much _longer multi chapter fic - and yet here i am, doing it all over again *jazz hands*__
> 
> I really have no idea how to preface this. It's literally just a modern day, no zombies au with a lot of fluff and shenanigans thrown in (did I say fluff already???? because they'res gonna be a lot of it. buckle up, kids). I'm sure there's some quote about writing the fic you want to see in the world and that's literally what im doing. Anyway, I hope y'all enjoy.

New Year’s Eve was always a time of celebration in Raccoon city. Cheers of joy and excitement could be heard across the city as the minutes slowly trickled down, as well as the occasional _bang_ from a suburban family lighting fireworks in their backyard. 

Even the central police department, which had been inundated with work all the way through the Christmas period, had found the time to hold their own celebrations. The library had been decked out for the night, the stairwell strewn with tacky decorative lights, and the tables normally littered with books and dusty lamps were now laden with food and drinks. Officers danced and laughed and made merry, closing out the year the best way they could think of. 

But even as the festivities continued into the night, one such officer found himself shying away from the celebrations to wallow in his own self pity. 

Leon sighed as he slumped forward across his desk, burying his face in his hands and trying to block out the images of his fellow co-workers enjoying themselves upstairs. This was his first proper celebration as a qualified police officer, and instead of mingling and celebrating another year of successful exploits amongst the police department, he’d trailed downstairs with his tail between his legs and hidden himself away amongst the west offices. 

At least he’d _tried_ to enjoy himself tonight. He’d downed half a drink, laughed at his co-worker’s jokes, and even let someone’s slightly tipsy mother stand on his toes as she tried to twirl him around the library. But the more he listened to the stories his fellow officers recounted of their successful exploits throughout the year, the more woefully inadequate he felt in comparison. They’d spent the year hunting down murderers and tracking down drug rings. What had he done? Filed all the paperwork that everyone else hadn’t felt like finishing? 

He was beginning to feel like he’d _never_ get the chance to work a case by himself. 

Drumming his fingertips across the top of his desk, Leon began to quietly brainstorm excuses so that he could head home early. He wasn’t scheduled to work the next day, so he couldn’t pretend he needed to go home and rest before his shift. Maybe he could pretend he drank too much? No, that would never work. He hadn’t even finished the one drink he’d been nursing all evening, and he couldn’t act to save his life. 

He knew that if he wanted to leave early, everyone would understand, right? They were all reasonable adults here. But he couldn’t shake the feeling that they would judge him; that he’d give them the impression that he didn’t like them and that he'd give just about anything to be rid of them and the police department as a whole. 

At least he’d turned up tonight. They couldn’t hold that against him. 

With a deep breath, Leon scooted his chair back and resigned himself to the fact that he’d just have to sneak out and head home without telling anyone he was leaving.

His plan was thwarted when he heard footsteps from out in the hall. 

Leon froze, his fingers gripping the edge of his desk so hard his nails began to dig into the wood. Had someone noticed he’d disappeared and come looking for him? What would he tell them if they caught him like this? Oh, God, what if it was the lieutenant? 

He took a deep breath, steeling himself to face whoever lay in that hall behind him as he turned to find -

A very drunk girl struggling to hold herself upright. 

Leon blinked. He recognised her from upstairs - she’d been laughing and dancing with a few of the precinct’s female officers - but he didn’t know who she was. She didn’t work at the precinct; was she somebody’s plus one? 

For a moment, he couldn’t bring himself to do much more than stare at her, somewhat relieved that he hadn’t been caught by one of his superior officers. But the relief quickly gave way to confusion. How the hell had she managed to stumble her way all the way down from the library in her current state? In _those_ heels? 

The girl finally managed to gather her bearings to some degree, straightening where she stood as much as she could manage. Light spilled across her from the hall, illuminating the auburn tints in her dark, tousled hair as it spilled past her shoulders. Her dress seemed almost scandalous for a meagre new year’s eve party, blood red in colour and highlighting each of her curves as it hugged her lithe figure. Leon had to bite his lip in an effort to stop his eyes from wandering towards her plunging neckline. 

She brushed her side swept bangs out of her face, and Leon’s breath caught in his throat as he caught her eyes. Her irises were so blue they almost seemed to glow under the low light of the west offices, surging ocean swells under a dark, stormy sky, and Leon could have sworn if he held her gaze for too long, he would drown in them. 

The girl blinked, her eyes widening as she finally registered Leon’s presence in the room. 

“Oh!” she exclaimed, as though Leon had startled her. “I didn’t - I thought -” her gaze drifted across the room, eyes squinting in the darkness as she struggled to make out her surroundings. “Jill said there wouldn’t be anyone down here, but...” 

She tried to take a step forward, and Leon immediately leapt from his chair to help her, lest she miss a step in her drunken state and break her ankle. 

“Are you alright?” Leon asked as he guided her away from the door, letting her settle in the chair he’d just vacated. 

The girl just nodded, waving Leon away as she sank into his seat. 

“I’m _fine_ ,” she insisted, though she slurred her words slightly as she spoke. “I just need to... hide, for a little while.” She paused, her tired gaze loitering on the pencil cup perched atop Leon’s desk. “And maybe a glass of water.” 

Leon pursed his lips, keeping his eyes focused on her as he made a beeline for the water cooler on the other end of the room, fetching a paper cup of water and hurrying back towards her as fast as he could, lest she topple out of his chair and land face first on the floor. 

She accepted the cup with a quiet _thank you_ , quickly bringing it to her lips and downing half of the water in one swift gulp. 

Leon just watched her for a moment, still somewhat perplexed by her presence. Seeing her up close revealed she was slightly more dishevelled than previously thought; her mascara was smudged, giving her a tired and almost gaunt expression, and her dress was crinkled as though she’d been wearing it for way too long. There was a decent sized bruise on her upper arm, too, and Leon couldn’t even begin to imagine how she might have gotten it. 

“So,” he began, nervously picking at the sleeve of his suit jacket, “can I ask what exactly you’re hiding from?”

The girl’s face soured as she polished off the rest of her cup of water, slamming the paper cup down on the desk with enough force that it almost made Leon jump. 

“My _brother_ ,” she explained, spitting out the last word like it had left a bad taste in her mouth. She balled up the cup between her hands, tossing it onto the ground behind her as she lowered her voice. “Between you and me, I’m not exactly old enough to drink, and if he sees me like this...” She trailed off, holding up her hand in the shape of a pistol and mimicking a bullet going through her head. 

Leon pursed his lips, a knot beginning to form in his stomach. An underage girl getting drunk in the _police station_? He didn’t even want to consider how many regulations that broke. Surely he should go upstairs and report this, lest they manage to find who had given her the alcohol before the party was over. But he didn’t feel comfortable leaving her alone down here in her current state, and somehow he didn’t think toting her back up the stairs was a viable option, either. 

“Does your brother work here?” Leon asked, pulling up a chair from a colleague’s desk and seating himself next to her. 

The girl nodded. “Yeah. He’s in S.T.A.R.S.” She paused, narrowing her eyes at him as she leaned across his desk, and Leon almost found himself shrinking up under her scrutiny. “Chris Redfield. You know him, right?”

He swallowed, nodding as he regretfully informed her that he did, in fact, know of Chris Redfield from S.T.A.R.S. He also knew just how important Chris’ little sister was to him, and if he happened to find Leon down here alone with her, while she was quite veritably _drunk_ -

Oh, God, what if Chris thought _he_ was the one who got her drunk?

“Are you sure hiding is the best idea?” Leon shuffled forward in his seat, wringing his hands together in his lap. “I could go find Chris and tell him you’re not feeling well-”

The girl slammed her hand down against Leon’s desk, hard enough that it made Leon flinch. 

“Don’t you _dare_ ,” she spat, her tone so vicious that it was enough to startle Leon into submission. He had no reason to fear her, really. He was a fully qualified officer, and she was a drunk teenage girl. But she was also Chris Redfield’s sister, and considering the absolute brute of a man her brother was, Leon didn’t want to consider how she might stack up in comparison. Maybe letting her hide it out was the best course of action for the time being. 

The girl, however, seemed unphased by the threats she’d just passed on to what was essentially a virtual stranger. She picked up the nameplate from Leon’s desk, frowning to herself as she studied it. 

“What kind of a surname is ‘Skennedy’?” she mused, tilting the name plate up to catch the light spilling in from the hall. 

“Kennedy,” Leon corrected her, taking the nameplate from her and setting it back down on his desk. “The ‘S’ is my middle name.”

The girl giggled. “Your middle name is ‘S’?”

Leon felt his cheeks begin to burn, and he mentally reprimanded himself for it. Was he really letting a drunk girl embarrass him? 

“Scott,” he mumbled, reaching up to scratch the back of his neck as he pointedly looked at something across the room, refusing to meet her eyes. “My middle name is Scott.” 

The girl was quiet for a moment. Her gaze drifted back to his nameplate, and she began carefully tracing each letter with her forefinger. 

“Leon Scott Kennedy,” she said quietly, his name dripping from her tongue in such a way that it almost sent shivers down his spine. “Nice to meet you, Officer Kennedy.” 

Leon swallowed. “You still haven’t told me your name,” he pointed out meekly, though she really didn’t have any obligation to tell him. 

The girl tilted her head as she peered at him curiously, a strange gleam in her bright blue eyes. There was something about her expression that set Leon on edge, almost as though she were analysing him, drawing blunt conclusions about him in her mind, even in her heavily drunk state. 

But after a moment, her expression softened, and she stretched her arms out across Leon’s desk in an almost catlike fashion. 

“Claire,” she told him, smiling up at him so sweetly that it almost made Leon’s knees weak. 

Her name echoed in his mind, the melodic lilt of her voice almost hypnotic to him. Even though she’d been threatening him just moments prior, Claire didn’t seem all that similar to her brother. Her bright eyes and bubbly personality were a stark contrast to her brother’s unrelenting stare and brash temperament, but Leon found it kind of endearing. He couldn’t help but wonder what she was normally like, dressed down and uninhibited by alcohol. 

Oblivious to the way she’d dazzled Leon with her radiance, Claire began talking, about anything and everything that crossed her mind. She talked about a homework assignment she’d just finished that she’d absolutely hated, and how she still needed to get her motorcycle fixed, and a boy she’d seen recently who she had thought was _so beautiful_ that she’d almost started crying. 

Leon was more than content to sit and listen to her. She was so full of life, bubbly and bright and enthused about _everything_ , that Leon began to wonder if he’d accidentally stumbled into the presence of a slightly chaotic deity and not a drunk teenage girl. Frankly, he was enjoying himself more now than he had been when he was upstairs. 

A loud noise from outside the station interrupted their conversation. Claire’s eyes widened, and she suddenly hoisted herself upright. 

“Fireworks!” she exclaimed, frantically looking around the room, and for a moment, Leon couldn’t tell if she was excited or afraid. Her face fell, and she sank back into Leon’s chair with a dejected sigh. “There’s no windows in here.” 

Leon couldn’t help but chuckle at her excitement.

“There’s a window right through there,” he told her, pointing towards the reception desk. Rising from his chair, he cleared his throat and offered her his hand. “Do you wanna go watch the fireworks?” 

Claire blinked up at him, seemingly surprised by the offer. But then her face broke out in a grin, and she happily took the hand he offered her. 

She’d managed to gather her bearings somewhat in the short time she’d spent downstairs, but she still swayed as she got to her feet, and Leon was quick to jump to her aid, looping her arm through his as he guided her towards the information centre. 

He led her into the waiting area, carefully helping her weave through the couches that were crammed in front of the window. Claire wasted no time in pressing her hands up against the window and staring out into the night, eyes wide with childlike wonder as she took in the distant fireworks people had started lighting. 

Leon couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight. Maybe if he had the chance, he would’ve liked to get to know her better under different circumstances. If she was half as interesting sober as she was drunk, then she must have been someone worth having in his life. 

He kept an arm braced around her waist, just to make sure she didn’t fall over. He wondered if he should encourage her to take her shoes off, but considering the way she’d pressed herself up against the window, Leon somehow didn’t think he was going to get her to move any time soon. 

Chanting began from the library upstairs, and Leon glanced at the clock on the far wall. Less than a minute to go until midnight, he realised. Where had the time gone? 

The countdown continued, and he glanced down at Claire, who was still anticipating the fireworks with wide, eager eyes, almost bounding up and down on her feet. 

_Three..._

_Two..._

_One..._

Cheers rang out across the city as an orchestrated firework display began in the city centre, illuminating the dark sky in shades of red and blue and green. Claire watched with a look of childlike wonder in her eyes, her lips parted in awe as her fingers curled against the window. Even Leon was impressed by the spectacle; he couldn’t remember ever seeing a firework display this intricate, and he was surprised none of the other officers had talked it up prior to that night. 

Claire suddenly slipped, her legs giving out beneath her as she tried to adjust her stance, and Leon was quick to grab her before she landed on the floor. With his arms tightly wrapped around her torso, Leon swore under his breath, still recovering from the sudden jolt of adrenaline as he struggled to pull her upright - but Claire just laughed at their predicament, her hands coming up to rest on Leon’s chest once she'd clambered back to her feet. 

“Just as well my prince charming is here to save me, huh?” she joked, toying with the lapels of his suit jacket. 

Leon just gave her an awkward smile, unsure how to respond. As much as he tried to be courteous around women, he hardly considered himself a beacon of gentlemanly prowess - but he was flattered, nonetheless. 

Claire pursed her lips, tilting her head as she looked up at Leon with a curious expression, gripping his jacket a little tighter. There was something in her eyes, a mischievous gleam so intense and focused that it made Leon’s heart skip a beat. 

“Leon?”

“Hm?”

She grinned, rocking forward onto her tiptoes and pressing a kiss to Leon’s cheek. “Happy New Year.” 

Leon froze, completely taken aback by Claire’s boldness. How the hell did she expect him to react? He grasped for words, hands furling and unfurling at her waist as he felt his face begin to burn up, despite the cool night air seeping in through the window’s thin glass. 

This girl was nothing if not full of surprises. 

Thankfully, the lights in the reception area were turned off, and he prayed that it was dark enough that Claire wouldn’t notice his quickly reddening cheeks. 

But Claire had long since stopped paying attention to him. She’d already managed to swivel around in his grasp and press herself up against the window again, grinning wildly to herself as she watched the rest of the fireworks. 

With a breathless chuckle, Leon just shook his head, keeping one hand loose around her waist as he turned his own attention towards the fireworks once again. “Happy New Year, Claire.” 

If this was the only good moment he had this year, he thought to himself, then it was already miles better than the last. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for taking so long w/ this update, i really struggled writing the second half for some reason. No promises, but I'm hoping the second chapter won't take as long.  
> (also apologies if this chapter seems subpar compared to my past fics, I didn't re-edit/rewrite it 20 times over. I hope y'all don't mind too much ^^')

As much as Claire believed in trying to better oneself, she did not care for New Year’s resolutions. 

That being said, when she finally came to on her brother’s couch on the morning of January first, with a splitting headache and little memory of the evening prior, she found herself vehemently swearing off ever drinking again for as long as she lived. 

Between stumbling out of the RPD library and waking up in the passenger seat of Jill’s car with Chris passed out across the back seats, Claire had little recollection of what had happened the night prior. The bruise on her upper arm made her wonder if she’d gotten into some sort of trouble, but she felt like she would have remembered something like that, even if she was drunk out of her mind. 

Regardless of how hungover she was, it didn’t change the fact that she had to get her bike fixed before she went back to college the next day. With a begrudging sigh, she’d gotten dressed, popped a couple of tylenol, and slipped out into the crisp morning air. 

Fifteen minutes later, Claire was wandering through the local park, swearing under her breath as she hugged her arms around herself in an attempt to block out the ever pervasive cold. The estimate the mechanic had given her would almost completely wipe out the money she’d gotten for Christmas, and the thought of going back to college just as broke as she’d been when she left made her feel rather defeated. 

She sighed as she trudged her way across the park park, freshly fallen snow crunching beneath her boots. Chris had still been asleep when she’d left his apartment, and if he was as hungover as she thought he was... well, she didn’t want to be around when he woke up. 

But it didn’t seem like she would have much of a choice. The clouds were growing darker overhead, and she vaguely remembered some stranger at the party last night talking about another bout of snow headed their way. Maybe not enough to close the highway and keep her from heading back to college, but enough to deter her from loitering in the cold and retreating back to Chris’ apartment, where he would undoubtedly be hungover, irritable, and miserable to deal with. 

Great. Just great. 

She was so caught up in her own thoughts that she almost didn’t catch the man shouting her name from across the park. 

Claire turned around and squinted at him, struggling to make out his features from so far away. Did she know this guy? His voice sounded familiar, but she couldn’t seem to place where she’d heard it before-

Oh. 

_Oh._

_Mother of God_ Claire muttered to herself as the man half jogged towards her. She could feel her face flushing red hot with embarrassment as memories of the night before slowly came drifting back to her, and she cursed herself for making such a damn _fool_ of herself. She’d had her fair share of drunk exploits, sure, but stumbling over an _officer of the law_ for the better part of an evening?! 

She half wished the ground would open up beneath her and swallow her whole. 

Leon grinned as he finally caught up to her, the plastic grocery bag in his hand swinging from the momentum. His nose and cheeks were dusted pink from the cold, but it gave him an oddly cheery expression. 

“Good to see you made it out of the precinct in one piece,” he said in lieu of a greeting, kicking the snow from the toes of his boots. “Your brother certainly seemed a little worse for wear when you left last night.”

Claire winced, wondering what kind of trouble Chris might have gotten into. “You saw him, huh?” 

Leon just stared at her in disbelief. “I mean, he climbed onto the reception desk in the main hall and started singing Cher songs.” His lips curled into something that could be construed as either a smirk or a grimace. “It was kind of hard to miss.” 

“Oh?” Claire raised an eyebrow, intrigued by this revelation. “You wouldn’t happen to have caught that on video, would you?”

Leon laughed. “I’m afraid not, but I think Jill did.” He paused, eyes darting off to one side as he pursed his lips in thought. “And maybe five or six other people.” 

Claire smiled, making a mental note to get that video from Jill later. Sure, chances were it had been shared with half of the precinct by now, but Claire would take whatever blackmail against her brother that she could get. 

But then she remembered her _own_ drunken, less than desirable actions from the night before, and she inwardly cringed. 

“Listen, I’m really sorry about last night,” she began, brushing her windswept hair back out of her face. “I shouldn’t have drunk so much, and it wasn’t fair for you to have to deal with me like that -” 

“Hey, it’s alright,” Leon assured her, interrupting her panicked ramble with a smile. “You don’t owe me an explanation. I’m just glad you’re okay.” 

Claire just blinked, dumbfounded by his sincerity. How was this man _real_? She hadn’t even known him for a whole twenty four hours, and yet he’d already shown about ten times the integrity than any other man she’d known.

“So, what are you doing out here?” Leon asked. “I didn’t think you’d be in a state to be up and about this morning.” 

Claire chuckled. “I’m not.” She sucked in a breath through her teeth, folding her arms across her chest in an attempt to keep the cold out. “But I had to take my bike in to get fixed, and I don’t really feel like dealing with Chris while I wait for it to be finished.” 

“So you’re gonna stomp through the park until then?” Leon mused. “You know it’s supposed to snow again today, right?”

As if on cue, the sky opened up and a torrent of white flakes began descending down upon the two of them.

Claire glared up at the sky and swore under her breath, cursing whatever greater power that seemed insistent on upending her life on the first day of the new year. 

Leon bit his lip, shouldering the grocery bag he’d been carrying. 

"Maybe this is a little forward of me,” he began, “but do you want to come back to my apartment?” He shifted his weight between his feet, and Claire couldn’t tell if he was nervous or cold. “I might not be much in ways of company, but at least it’s out of the cold.” 

Claire blinked, somewhat surprised by the offer. This man was essentially a stranger to her - even if she did vaguely remember recounting her life story to him the night before. Letting a strange man lead her into his apartment was how a lot of horror stories began, and the rational part of her brain was _screaming_ at her to turn him down. 

But he wasn’t just any normal stranger. He’d seen Claire at what might have been her worst, incapacitated enough that she could hardly keep herself upright - and he’d done nothing but look after her. If she’d run into someone else, an officer who didn’t hold himself to the same moral standards as Leon -

Claire shuddered at the thought. She’d only known Leon one night, and somehow he was already one of the most honorable men she’d met. Surely she could trust him - right? 

A smile tugged at the corners of her lips as she motioned toward the path in front of them. “Lead the way.”

* * *

As she stepped past the threshold of Leon’s apartment, Claire began to wonder if she'd made a mistake in trusting him.

His apartment was nice enough, with a decently modern kitchen and cool blue-grey walls that his slightly worn furniture complimented nicely - but there was no life to it. No decorations, no photos - hell, even his fridge was completely devoid of magnets or sticky notes. 

Was there something wrong with this guy? 

“Coffee?” Leon offered as he shed his coat, tucking it neatly across the back of one of his dining chairs as he made his way into the kitchen. 

“Yes please.” Claire rubbed her hands together as she hung up her own jacket, trying to warm herself up as she wandered around Leon’s living room. It wasn’t completely lifeless, she supposed. His coffee table was stained and worn down, piled with bills and empty mugs and other various paraphernalia. One corner of the room seemed to be dedicated to a pile of cables that may or may not have been connected to his tv - they were so tangled it was impossible to tell. 

The intricate blue rug beneath her feet finally assured her that Leon wasn’t, in fact, a serial killer. Not only would it have been impossible to clean blood out of, but it did tie the room together quite nicely. 

Leon emerged from the kitchen with two steaming mugs in hand and offered one to Claire, who thanked him and settled onto his couch. 

As she lifted the mug to her lips to take a sip, something strange caught her eye.

“What’s that?” she asked, pointing at the small, wooden, perhaps slightly deformed figure sitting atop his television. 

Leon laughed as he sank down onto the couch beside her. 

“That’s, uh. I tried carving it while I was still at the police academy.” He reached up to sheepishly scratch the back of his neck, his cheeks flushing with the faintest tinge of red. “It’s supposed to be a lion.” 

Claire couldn’t help but snicker at his explanation. Now that he’d mentioned it, it _did_ look vaguely lion-esque, but its mane was unusually angular, and it’s expression seemed much more goofy than ferocious. 

“So you’re a rookie, huh?” Claire nudged him with her foot. “Is this your first job as an officer?”

Leon nodded. “Moved here at the end of September, not long after I graduated.” 

“How’s RC treating you?” 

He grimaced into his mug as he swallowed a hefty gulp of coffee. 

“I might have chalked it up a bit in my head,” he confessed, "I asked to be assigned here because I was intrigued by the Arklay murders, but it’s not like they’re about to trust a rookie to take over the case.” 

Claire smirked. “They got you playing errand boy, have they?”

“Pretty much, yeah. Got me working an insane amount of overtime as well.” He sighed sadly, staring into the bottom of his mug as he swirled his coffee around. “But hey, at least it keeps me busy. I don’t really know anyone outside of the precinct, and it’s not like I’ve got much else going on.” 

Claire blinked. It was starting to make sense, the empty walls, the fridge completely devoid of mementos - did he even have any family around?

“You must get lonely,” she blurted, regretting the words the second they left her mouth. 

Leon lifted his head to look at her. He smiled, a soft, sad smile that didn’t reach his eyes - and Claire felt her heart sink. 

“You get used to it.” He stared into the bottom of his mug, swirling around the last of his coffee before setting his mug down. “But hey, enough about me. You’re a student, right? What are you studying?” 

Claire swallowed, but it did little to ease the lump in her chest. She wanted to ask him if he was okay - but it didn’t seem like her place to ask, and he clearly didn’t want to talk about it. She wasn’t about to press him. 

So she relented, indulging him with tidbits about her college and the degree she was studying towards. 

“A humanities student, huh?” Leon's eyes had widened in interest. “That must keep you busy.”

Claire snorted, rolling her eyes as she took another sip of her drink. “You’re telling me.” 

“Come on. You must get up to _some_ kind of mischief. It’s college, after all.” 

She smiled and shook her head. “Not as much as I'd like. But if I got into any sort of trouble, I’d risk losing my scholarship, and I can’t exactly afford to be there without it.” 

Leon nodded in understanding, pursing his lips in thought. 

“Is that why you got so drunk last night?” he asked quietly. 

Claire bit the inside of her cheek, hesitant to look up and meet his gaze. “Partly.”

Leon was quiet. He raised an eyebrow in silent question, waiting for Claire to continue. 

Claire sighed, setting down her mug and nervously hugging her arms around herself. 

“There was a cute guy at the party,” she shyly admitted, shrinking up into the couch as much as she possibly could. “I wanted to get his number.” 

Leon’s brow furrowed in confusion. “And you thought getting drunk would help how, exactly?”

“I wasn’t _trying_ to get drunk!” Claire retorted. “I just thought that having a drink would boost my confidence, but then one drink turned into two, and then, well...” she trailed off, slumping further back against the couch. “You know the rest.” 

Leon paused. “Did you get the guy’s number, at least?”

“No. He left without me realising.” 

“That’s a shame.” The corners of Leon’s lips began to curl into a mischievous smile. “I’m sure drunkenly tripping over his feet would have _really_ impressed him.”

“Oh my God, _shut up_!” Claire reached across the couch to smack Leon’s shoulder, but he was too busy laughing at her misfortune. When he wouldn’t stop, she glowered at him and folded her arms across her chest, sinking back onto her side of the couch with an indignant _huff_. 

“Alright, fine.” Leon was still chuckling as he wiped a tear from his eye. “I’m sorry.” He smiled, and it was so genuinely sympathetic and gentle that Claire found herself completely taken aback. 

Her heart began thundering in her chest, and she averted her gaze as she cleared her throat. 

“So, are you telling me you didn’t get up to any drunk mischief at the police academy?” 

Leon’s smile faded, his tone turning serious. 

“I’ll have you know I was a _model_ student,” he informed her, his eyes darting off to one side as he skewed his lips in thought. “But there _was_ this one time...” 

He proceeded to entertain her with stories from his police academy days, and Claire couldn’t help but laugh as she tried to picture a younger Leon accidentally lighting his peer’s clothes on fire. In exchange, she told him about some of the legendary incidents that had happened in her dorm - incidents that may or may not have involved her. 

They ended up talking for several hours, going through several more cups of coffee and the entire stash of potato chips Leon had stored above his fridge. Even as she laughed and joked with him, Claire found herself in utter disbelief of this man. He was kind and funny and ridiculously easy to talk to (and kind of cute, if she was being totally honest). How was he not the star of Raccoon City's social circles? 

By the time Claire’s phone finally buzzed in her pocket to tell her that her bike was ready, she’d completely lost track of time, and her ribs ached from laughing so hard. 

“You need a ride?” Leon offered from the kitchen as he carried their empty mugs into the kitchen. 

“No, it’s alright,” Claire told him, brushing the crumbs from her lap and gathering up her things. Her boots were still damp from the snow, and she screwed up her face as she shoved her feet back into them, water instantly seeping back into her socks. “I can walk.” 

“You sure?” Leon poked his head out from the kitchen. “It’s still snowing, and I’d hate for you to-”

“Really, it’s fine,” Claire assured him. Truth be told, she didn’t really fancy walking the twenty minutes back to the mechanics - especially not in the snow - but she felt like she’d worn out Leon’s generosity at this point. 

She finished zipping up her boots and straightened up again, retrieving her jacket from the coat hook. 

“Thanks for the coffee,” she said as she shrugged her arms into the sleeves. 

Leon smiled as he leaned back against the wall, shoving his hands into his pockets. “Thanks for the company.” 

Claire remembered what he’d said earlier about being lonely, and she felt a pang of guilt shoot through her like a bullet. Someone this kind and generous didn’t deserve to be lonely. Part of her wished she didn’t have to go back to college, if only so she could hang out with him again. She genuinely enjoyed his company. 

“Do you have a pen?” she asked without thinking. 

Leon paused. He shuffled back into the living room, rifling through the junk on his coffee table until he managed to find a ballpoint pen amongst the mess and offered it to Claire. 

Claire all but snatched the pen from him and grabbed his forearm, pulling up the sleeve of his sweater and scrawling something across his arm. 

“My number,” she said somewhat anxiously as she set the pen down. “Maybe we can’t always hang out like this, but if you ever want to talk to someone...” she shrugged. “You’re more than welcome to call.”

Leon blinked, and Claire’s heart seized in her chest, wondering if she’d overstepped a boundary. 

But then he smiled, carefully tracing his fingers over the numbers she’d left on his arm as he looked up at her, eyes brimming with sincerity. “Thank you, Claire.” 

Claire’s heart skipped a beat at the tenderness in his expression, and she swallowed, picking at the hem of her jacket as she struggled to think of what to say. 

“I mean, I’ll be in Raccoon city from time to time. Maybe I could come visit again.” She paused. “If it’s okay with you, of course.” 

Leon chuckled as he walked her to the door, pulling his sleeve back down over his arm. “I’d like that.”

Claire smiled, her hand hovering above the doorknob. “Take care, Leon.” 

“You too, Claire.” 

She waved him farewell as she hurried down the hall towards the elevator, her chest filled with a newfound warmth, and she couldn’t help but smile to herself.

As she walked the twenty minutes back through the park to collect her bike again, the cold was the last thing on her mind. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've made a playlist for this fic if anyone's interested!! You can listen to it [here](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/055SN3dGxjES2MnQR1gY7y?si=FPi4vkJSRrGOccx748eP4w) !! song suggestions are also welcome :)

**Author's Note:**

> y̶e̶s̶ ̶i̶ ̶k̶n̶o̶w̶ ̶i̶t̶'̶s̶ ̶u̶n̶l̶i̶k̶e̶l̶y̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶a̶ ̶p̶o̶l̶i̶c̶e̶ ̶d̶e̶p̶a̶r̶t̶m̶e̶n̶t̶ ̶w̶o̶u̶l̶d̶ ̶t̶h̶r̶o̶w̶ ̶a̶ ̶n̶e̶w̶ ̶y̶e̶a̶r̶s̶ ̶p̶a̶r̶t̶y̶,̶ ̶b̶u̶t̶ ̶i̶t̶'̶s̶ ̶m̶y̶ ̶f̶i̶c̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶i̶ ̶g̶e̶t̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶m̶a̶k̶e̶ ̶u̶p̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶r̶u̶l̶e̶s̶
> 
> Please let me know what y'all think so far!!! I have a rough outline for how things are going to play out in this fic, but if you have any ideas or things you'd like to see I'd love to hear them!! 
> 
> You can also find me on twitter/tumblr (@kefliboo)!!


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